Serenity and Shadows
by dRuMgG
Summary: What if during the BDM, Malriver was established? What if they had a child - a baby girl, named Shadow? How would that complicate the movie? Can their love last River's renewed crazy? How can they protect their daughter from an operative hellbent on killing her mother - and maybe taking her too? I suck at summaries - rated for possible language and possible future lemons.
1. Chapter 1

Hi Everyone! So, I have been wanting to write this story for a really long time. I do not own Firefly or Serenity. That all belongs to Joss Whedon – and NOT FOX – who is a god among directors. You will notice that I made it so that River and Simon have been with the Serenity crew four years in this story, which is a bit longer that in the movie, but I kind of needed it to introduce one of the few OCs that are in this story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Read and Review please – it will probably be the main thing that keeps me writing!

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Chapter 1: Disturbed Dreams

A man. Dark skinned, light blue – or silver? - coat. Malicious. Frightening.

Two by two . . .

No. Hands are skin. Not blue.

Violence within him. But purpose . . . A dream of peace. Belief.

He's looking at her . . . but not at her. Another her. Past? Future? No, past. She could see Simon. Saving her. Her escape.

But the sword. The blood. He's coming! HE'S COMING FOR HER!

" _Where are you hiding, little girl?"_

* * *

River woke with a start, and a slight scream tickling the back of her throat that she could not let loose. Her eyes flew to the toddler dozing millimeters from her face, her sleep disturbed only slightly by River's jerking movements.

In spite of the nightmare, the child made River smile. Her baby. Her Shadow – Dow for short. Dow was one of the three pieces of rope to were fastened tightly around River's sanity, keeping her firmly where she was – most of the time. Her sleep, she knew, was never a safe place to be.

And just as she began to wonder how to baby with her dark hair but his blue eyes hidden by settling lashes came to be in her bed, she felt him settling above her slowly to whisper in her ear, "I figured you wouldn't mind her bein' my substitute rather than waking up alone, Darling."

She turned over to face her husband – husband. Who would have ever thought that after everything she'd been through, she would ever have a husband? – and he planted a light kiss on her lips that she closed her eyes to feel completely. _This_ was the second tie that held her fast to this world that she lived in. Her surprising love for him.

She looked up at him to find him already dressed, ready to begin his daily duties. Daily – what a strange word to use in space. There was no sun that rise or fell on a ship in space, because that ship did not revolve on any axis. The only way they knew what was meant to be a day was the habitat settings engrained in the ships mainframe, but everyone knew that every now and then, when they were "deep space, corner of 'no' and 'where'", as Mal like to say, the captain would give Wash a significant nod to know to change the settings so that nights were longer, and everyone could enjoy an extra few hours of peace.

But today was not one of those days, or her husband wouldn't be such an early riser. Today they had a job. A job that she would actually be joining them on, as they robbed an Alliance vault. And while she didn't always share in Mal's eagerness to poke the bear, as it were, she did get a little bit of satisfaction in causing some distress to those who had gone to great lengths to torture her not to long ago.

Still, even though she knew he had to go, she took a minute to admire him. His shirt was faded, like most of his shirts were, and buttoned but for the collar, where she saw a few hairs poking out. His pants were also faded brown, held together by a large belt that also contained what was – for the next minute anyway – and empty holster. He had also yet to put on his coat, and she felt that he almost looked underdressed without it. But she could see it lying on the bed next to her, brown and sweeping, as much a part of him as his blue eyes. After all, it was cold in space.

"Hmm," she hummed back at him in response to his statement, "Don't know 'bout that. With you still here, almost wish you hadn't. We could have . . ." She let the sentence trail off, as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to wake the still sleeping child. He gave her a slight smirk and a quick kiss, before disentangling himself from her arms.

"Later," he whispered, looking at Dow significantly, as if River could have forgotten her presence. He stood up straight and swung his coat around his shoulders. He reached right under where she was laying in the bed to grab his gun out of the holster he kept there – even though she _kept telling_ him that it was too easy for Dow to reach it there – and twirled it around his finger a couple of times smirking at her before putting it squarely in the holster. She giggled quietly.

"For now," he said, backing away towards the door as she watched him, "I've got captaining things to do." And with that, and a final wink, Mal climbed out of their bunk.

River smiled quietly, and looked down at Dow. The child was the perfect combination between her and Mal – his eyes, her hair. His jaw, her frame. His stubbornness, and her . . . reading. She almost frowned at that thought. When she was pregnant, she had hoped that her gift would not pass to her child. And even when her two-year-old – _two –_ spoke Chinese and English fluently, as well as being able simply _know_ whoever was walking into a room, she knew that whatever it was that made her different had been passed on to her child. She and Mal had talked about it many times, and while they both worried, she could tell how proud he was whenever Dow would correct Jayne's awful grammar. They could keep her safe, he would say. Safe of Serenity. Safe with their Crew.

And that was the third piece that held her here. The family. Serenity. All of this came together to give her a home here, one that she had happily made her own over that last four years.

But something was about to tear all that apart. She could feel it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! I hope you liked the first chapter – and I hope you haven't been waiting long for this one. I swear, I'm starting it the same night I finished that last one! But . . . life is busy.

Anyway, just so you know, I own nothing. Sadly. But I am a browncoat! TO THE BLACK AND BACK!

I hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Doing Crime

Dow had a bad habit of peaking in on River's bad thought while sleeping, so to avoid a screaming wake-up time, River tried to listen in on the other members of the Crew beginning their morning routines. Wash was already on the bridge, talking to Mal, and it seemed like they were about to begin their entrance into the planets atmosphere. _This is going to be a rough landing_ , River though, and she prayed to anyone out there that Mal would not make any announcements over the intercom to avoid a completely _different_ kind of screaming-toddler situation. Shadow may be a genius child, but she was still set in her terrible twos these days.

Her mind began wandering around the ship to where Jayne was picking out his weapons for the raid. _Grenades . . ._ he was thinking, and she rolled her eyes at this and moved on, knowing the Mal would not let the "power-hungry maniac" – Zoe's words – from bringing them. Zoe herself was readying the Mule to go, and while her military-styled thought process was often intriguing in the insight it gave River about Mal, she kept moving on. Kaylee was working in the engine room, thinking about Simon. Simon was working in the med-bay, thinking about Kaylee – which wasn't unusual. But she could also see that his thoughts kept moving towards the fact that River was going on this raid. It upset him.

Not that River hadn't done crime before – she had, many times now. But she was normally a factor that was kept at a distance, safely aboard the ship. This usually pleased both Mal and Simon, as both were rather jumpy when she was within thirty miles of harm's way. And she had agreed with them, before her sanity began to settle, and when she was pregnant, and then when she was nursing . . . but enough was enough. Mal knew that he needed her out there, and even when he disagreed . . . she had ways of convincing him. It was Simon who would never budge.

She felt a little distress in the corner of her mind, and felt a violent shake as the ship began to break atmo.

 _And here it comes . . ._ she thinks, when she hears Mal's voice over the intercom "This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then . . . explode."

"And that means your going to have to work for our 'later'," she mutters to herself and Shadow's eyes shoot open and the child jumps up, unaware of where she is and already at the verge of tears.

"MOMMA!" She screams, clearly not noticing her mother lying right beside her. River quickly grabs her a comforts her in a way only a mother can, shushing her a stoking her hair and whispering sweet nothings that calm the child down almost instantly.

"Mommy," Dow sniffles, hiding her face in Rivers chest, "what's wrong with Serenity?" They are suddenly rocked by another violent shake, and River inwardly curses Mal. Dow would have slept through this if he had kept his captain mouth shut – or at least not broadcasted into their room. _Yep, he is definitely going to have to work for that 'later'._

"Nothing baby," River murmurs, starting to stand, carrying her child, "Your daddy just forgot to listen to Aunty Kaylee. Again."

River didn't bother dressing Shadow, as the crew was all more accustomed to seeing her run around in her pajamas that in actual clothes. She did throw a dress on, but didn't bother with shoes before carrying Dow out of the room, and making their way to the hull. Once setting her down, both laid on the floor of the rafters above where the mule was taking up most of the room, and stared at each other as they listened to Serenity settle, continuing her inevitable, but now safe descent.

"River?" She heard Simon whisper to her sometime later – she didn't know how much.

"I know," she said, not looking away from her staring child. "I'm going for a ride."

* * *

No matter how much time passed with them on Serenity, Simon still did not trust Mal with River. Not when he had saved her life after their third run in with Safron, who had taken River hostage to insure the ship – Mal had shot the bitch in the shoulder without hesitating. Not when Niska had taken the whole crew hostage but for Jayne and Mal, and Mal had all but torn threw the men about to torture River and left Jayne to find everyone else. Not when Mal had completely given up a payday to make sure River was safe on her last "hands of blue" episode. Never.

He just couldn't understand how the two were together. Given, they had been stuck together for a week on one of River's few out-door jobs where she had played his young wife, and they were locked up in prison together for three days when authorities grabbed them for starting a bar-fight while visiting Jayne's family a few years back . . . although Jayne's sister had been really asking for it . . . and there was the time when . . . In truth, there had been many times where Mal and River were alone. Mal was also the only man on the ship who wasn't married, crazy, celibate or her brother. Simon used to calm himself by thinking "Mal's her only option, she'll realize soon that there are more boys _her age_ out there – not that this notion really appealed to him either.

Eventually he had to concede though – when she announced she was _pregnant_ – that Mal and River were very much in love, and Mal would do anything for her.

Not that Simon trusted him.

So when River handed Dow over to Kaylee who was all-too ready to spend time with her favorite niece, and began descending towards the mule, Simon didn't like the small talk they made about the job. He didn't like it when Mal gentlemanly gave her hand into that unsafe contraption. And he _definitely_ didn't like it when Mal joked to him about the possibility of River getting hurt, even while she was giggling just behind him.

He didn't like it one bit.

* * *

River loved going out for jobs, and if he was honest with himself, Mal like having her there. She _was_ useful, for one. She knew when trouble was coming before it hit them. Also, when she was out with him, he knew she was safe. He knew he would keep her that way.

As Jayne and Zoe talked the job, Mal looked over his shoulder to look at River wearing her ridiculous goggles that always made him laugh. She was pointedly not looking at him though - he could tell because she was pointedly looking at Jayne, who _never_ interested her.

"What did I do?" He called over his shoulder, which both Jayne and Zoe ignored, too used to the captain and his wife being domestic.

"Intercom," was all she said, before looking out at the non-descript landscape they were passing. Again, not looking at him. But at least now he knew why.

"Was it that bad?" he asked, smirking a little bit. He knew his little girl could be a bit of a screamer when she felt like it – and first thing in the morning, she _always_ felt like it.

"Let's just say you are going to have to work _later_ ," River said significantly, finally peaking Jayne's interest. He smirked and looked between them.

"Someone burrowed himself in the doghouse, I think," the large man said gruffly, laughing at the couple next to him. Zoe rolled her eyes and punched him, before returning to talk about the job.

Mal didn't say anything else, but smirked a little himself. River knew he was always up for doing a little overtime.

They arrived at the small town where the alliance kept their security payroll for the month, which they were all very ready to take. River began her descent from the mule when Mal grabbed her arm.

"This might be a bit messy from the get go, darling," he said, looking at building. "Why don't you wait out here until everything's neat and tidy, _dohn-ma_?"

"Shiny, captain," she mutters, staring at the sky. Something's . . . off.

"Yeah, shiny," Jayne says, beginning is dismount and unbuttoning his jacket to reveal the ammo hiding underneath.

"Let's be bad guys."

* * *

So, for my own sake, I _needed_ to add that last line! **LET'S BE BAD GUYS!**

Also, I know River is a little different here than in the show/movie, but remember, I needed to make her a _mother_ and a _lover_. Don't worry, crazy River will arrive in the next few chapters.

Also, Review please! I live for it!


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